View the full 2017-18 Big Ten men's basketball conference schedule

View the full 2017-18 Big Ten men's basketball conference schedule

By BTN.com staff, 1 month ago

Mark Rudner, the Big Ten’s Senior Associate Commissioner, has compiled 31 Big Ten basketball schedules, and this latest one may have been the most difficult.

Between the regular season ending one week earlier, to allow for the Big Ten tournament to be played at Madison Square Garden, the addition of FOX as a TV partner and a host of facility conflicts, there was no shortage of things to navigate and consider.

When it’s all said and done, the Big Ten will be on your TV (or tablet) more days than any other year in Big Ten history. From Jan. 2-Feb.25, in fact, there will be at least one Big Ten conference game on all but four days.

“We’re going to have a full range of exposure, great national exposure over four different platforms,” Rudner said. “Big Ten basketball will be talked about 51 of those 55 days of the conference season.”

The four TV partners (BTN, CBS, ESPN & FOX) are more than any other conference, and trail only the NFL (5).

1. Big Ten play tips Friday, Dec. 1. Every team will play two conference games Dec. 1-5, before returning to non-conference play until conference action resumes Tuesday, Jan. 2.

2. Big Ten tournament is held a week earlier, and at Madison Square Garden. Instead of its usual second week of March date, the tournament will open Wednesday, Feb. 28 and crown a champion Sunday, March 4. The Big Ten couldn’t reserve the World’s Most Famous Arena for its usual dates (March 7-11), due to the Big East tournament.

“Given our eastern initiative, given the fact we were in the Verizon Center last year, we wanted to play in the World’s Most Famous Arena. Our coaches in 2014 were on board. They thought it was that important.”

3. Monday and Friday night games. FOX will carry games Monday and Friday nights, off nights in the past, meaning the Big Ten will play on every day of the week. A reasonable question: Were coaches, athletic directors and presidents against Friday night games?

“No,” Rudner said. “Nor was there any push back of Monday night. We are playing on every night of the week.”

4. Single-day preps. Due to the condensed conference slate and the juggling of men’s and women’s schedules, among other things, teams will play two games in three days, allowing just one day of preparation. There are 34 instances of single-day prep games.

“That’s what will make [the schedule] look unusual,” Rudner said.

5. Three straight road games. In previous seasons, the conference avoided having teams play more than two consecutive road games. This season, teams will play three in a row away from home.

“The one statistic that’s equal for everyone is 16 games in a 55-day period [Jan. 2-Feb. 25],” Rudner said.